The present disclosure relates to reversible heat pump refrigeration systems, and more particularly, to a system for improving frost tolerance in heating mode and the seasonal efficiency of a heat pump operating in both a cooling mode and heating mode
Air conditioners, refrigerators, and heat pumps produce a controlled heat transfer by evaporating a liquid refrigerant in a heat exchanger under appropriate pressure conditions to produce the desired evaporator temperatures. Liquid refrigerant removes its latent heat of vaporization from the medium being cooled, being converted into a vapor at the same pressure and temperature. This vapor is then conveyed into a compressor where its temperature and pressure are increased. The vapor then is conducted to a separate heat exchanger serving as a condenser where the gaseous refrigerant absorbs its heat of condensation from a heat transfer fluid in heat exchange relation therewith, changing state from a gas to a liquid. The liquid is supplied to an evaporator after flowing through an expansion device which acts to reduce the pressure of the liquid refrigerant so that the liquid refrigerant evaporates within the evaporator to absorb its heat of vaporization and complete the cycle.
When operating in a heating mode, an outdoor heat exchanger coil of a heat pump circuit is configured as the evaporator. The evaporator is typically located in ambient air, which sometimes drops to temperatures below the freezing point of water. Thus, as the cold ambient air circulates over the outdoor coil, water vapor in the air condenses and freezes on the surfaces of the outdoor coil. As frost accumulates on the outdoor coil, a layer of ice builds up between the portion of the outdoor coil carrying refrigerant and the air flowing over it. This layer of ice acts as an insulating layer inhibiting the heat transfer in the coil between the refrigerant and the air. In addition, the ice may block narrow air flow passageways between fins used to enhance heat transfer. This additional effect further reduces the heat transfer since lesser amounts of air are circulated in heat exchange relation with the refrigerant carrying conduits.
It is necessary to remove the accumulated frost to efficiently operate a heat pump in relatively low outdoor ambient air conditions. Many conventional methods are known such as supplying electric resistance heat, reversing the heat pump such that the evaporator becomes a condenser, or other refrigerant circuiting techniques to direct hot gaseous refrigerant directly to the frosted heat exchanger. Many of these defrost techniques use energy that is therefore not used to transfer heat energy to the space to be heated.